Parmigiana di melanzane
Neapolitan eggplant, tomato and fiordilatte bake
Cut through a rested pan of parmigiana and the layers should hold their shape: soft eggplant, bright tomato, milky fiordilatte, basil. Fried eggplant and drained cheese make a rich filling, while a thick tomato sauce binds the layers.
Campania claims parmigiana as a regional tradition, though its precise birthplace is disputed and local versions differ. In this Neapolitan preparation, long eggplants are fried directly in olive oil, then layered with tomato, basil and fresh stretched-curd cheese. Some cooks dip the slices in egg before frying, giving them a different coating.
Let the finished pan settle before cutting it. Warm rather than scalding hot, the layers hold together and the sweet tomato, soft eggplant and milk-rich cheese each have room to register.
Ingredients
Eggplant and cheese
- 1.2 kgfirm long eggplants, sliced lengthwise about 4 mm (⅛ in) thick
- coarse salt, for draining the eggplant
- extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
- 400 gfresh fiordilatte, cut into small strips and drained overnight (see note)
- 160 gParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
Tomato sauce
- 800 gplain tomato passata
- 1small onion, finely chopped
- 30 ml(2 tbsp)extra-virgin olive oil
- 1small handful fresh basil leaves, plus a few to finish
- fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
Kitchen notes
- Long eggplant
- Choose firm, long Neapolitan eggplants. Keep the skin on and fry the slices; baking or grilling them first produces a different parmigiana.
- Fiordilatte
- Fiordilatte is fresh cow’s-milk mozzarella, not the dry, low-moisture mozzarella sold for pizza. Cut it and drain it in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours so the bake stays layered rather than watery.
- Tomato passata
- Use plain strained tomatoes, without herbs or sugar already added. The sauce should be thick before layering because it will loosen again as the dish bakes.
Method
Drain the fiordilatte and eggplant
- The day before, cut the fiordilatte and leave it covered in a sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator so excess whey can escape. About 45 minutes before frying, layer the eggplant slices in a colander with coarse salt and a weight on top. Rinse off the salt and pat every slice thoroughly dry.
Reduce the sauce
- Soften the onion in the 2 tablespoons olive oil, without browning it. Add the passata, a little salt and several basil leaves. Simmer, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon rather than run off it, about 20–30 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.
Fry the eggplant
- Heat a generous depth of olive oil in a wide pan. Fry the slices in batches, without crowding, until tender and lightly golden on both sides; they should bend easily, not become brittle chips. Drain on paper and season lightly if needed.
Layer and bake
- Heat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Spread a thin film of sauce in a medium baking dish. Add an overlapping layer of eggplant, then a little sauce, fiordilatte, grated Parmigiano, basil and a touch of pepper. Repeat, using the ingredients evenly, and finish with eggplant, sauce and grated cheese. Keep the sauce between layers measured rather than flooding the dish.
- Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the center bubbles and the top is browned in patches. If liquid collects at the edges, give it a few more minutes in the oven. Rest at least 20 minutes before cutting, so the layers settle into neat, tender portions.